Cigarette snuffer and ejector with combined advertising device



,Feb. 23, 1943. J. M. BRAND 2,311,926

CIGARETTE SNUFFER AND EJECTOR WITH COMBINED ADVERTISING DEVICE Filed Oct. 4, 1941 I NVENTOR. JOHN M BRAND ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 23, 1943 UNITED STATES i ATENT OFFICE CIGARETTE; SNUFFER AND EJECTOR WITH COMBINED ADVERTISING DEVICE 2 Claims.

The invention, in general, relates to means for disposing of smoked cigarettes, and more particularly relates to a device having the dual purpose of snuffing out cigarettes and ejection thereof from the snulfer, and of affording the advertisement thereon of a brand of cigarettes or other merchandise or business.

While the embodiment of my invention which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing has been especially designed for handling cigarettes and to accommodate the various sizes thereof presently on the market, it is to be understood that the invention can be embodied in such sizes as to accommodate cigars, if desired, and that the receiving tray can be shaped to any desired design.

A primary object of my invention is to provide an improved cigarette snuifer and ejector which is positive in operation and relatively simple to manipulate and inexpensive to manufacture.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the indicated nature which is especially characterized by the inclusion therein of means for eliminating all likelihood of clogging and thus insuring a positive operable device at all times.

A still further object of my invention is to provide an improved device of the aforementioned character which accommodates cigarettes of both circular and elliptical cross-section.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved device of the indicated nature which is additionally characterized by the inclusion therein of an advertising element which is clearly legibible in an upright position regardless of the position assumed by the ejector element.

The foregoing and other objects are attained in a preferred embodiment of my invention which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing. It is to be understood that I am not to be limited to the precise embodiment shown, nor to the precise arrangement of the several parts thereof, as my invention, as defined in the appended claims, can be embodied in a plurality and variety of forms.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevational view, partly in section and partly broken away, of a preferred embodiment of the invention; this view being taken on the line l-l of Figure 4.

Figure 2 is a view of the preferred embodiment taken on the line 22 of Figure 1.

l1 and [8.

Figure 3 is a reduced perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Figure 4 is a view of the preferred embodiment of the invention taken on the line 4-4 of Fig ure 1.

In its preferred form, the cigarette snuffer and ejector with combined advertising device of my invention preferably comprises a tray, a casing pivotally supported above said tray; said casing having a plurality of passages therein terminating in openings at the top and the bottom of the casing, a snufling and ejecting element in each of said passages, means on said snufling and ejecting elements for tending to prevent clogging of said passages, together with a pair of discs oscillatably mounted on said casing; said discs being adapted to receive delineations of advertising media, and means on said discs for tending to maintain the same in such position relative to the position of said casing that the advertising media will always be upright.

As particularly illustrated in the perspective view of Figure 3 of the drawing, my improved.

cigarette snuffer and ejector device includes a tray H which preferably is formed with a relatively deep bottom I2 by means of an upright flange l3 extending around the tray. While a circular tray is depicted for the present embodiment, it is clear that any shape or design motif for the tray may be adopted, as desired. Mounted preferably adjacent to the center of the bottom l2 of the tray is a standard M which conveniently consists of a U-shaped member having a bottom leg I5 and a pair of uprights Any suitable means, such as rivets 19, can be employed for firmly fastening the standard M to the bottom 12 of the tray.

In accordance with my invention, I provide a casing 2| for carrying snuffing and ejecting elements and for passing cigarettes to be snuffed, such casing being pivotally mounted by means of pivot pins 20 on the legs I! and I8 of the standard 14 so that the casing may be pivoted at will from an upright to an inverted position and returned again to its initial position. For purposes of explanation only, the embodiment illustrated has been constructed to accommodate four cigarettes, whether the casing be upright or inverted, but it is clear that the casing 2| may be made to any desired dimensions to accommodate any number of cigarettes or cigars. Moreover, it is to be understood that casing 2| may be fabricated either of metal or wood, or of a phenolic condensate, such as Bakelite or from from the passages.

a urea condensate, as desired. As illustrated particularly in Figure 2 of the drawing, the casing 2| is provided with a removable, crimped top cap 22 and a removable, crimped bottom cap 23 each having a plurality of openings 24 therein which are aligned in pairs and which register in pairs with cylindrical passages 26 formed in the casing 2| and extending between the top and bottom caps 22 and 23. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the openings 24 of the caps 22 and 23 of the casing are elongated 01' elliptical in shape with the minor axes of such elliptical openings substantially equal to the diameter of a typical cigarette of circular crosssection, and the major axes of such elliptical openings substantially equal in length as the width of a typical cigarette having an elliptical cross-section. Thus, both cigarettes of circular and elliptical cross-section may be passed through the openings 24 of either the top or bottom cap of the easing into the passages 26.

The improved cigarette snufiing and ejecting device of my invention also includes a plurality of especially designed ejecting and snuifing elements 2! which are slidably mounted for free and unobstructed movement in the passages 26 of the casing between the top and bottom caps thereof. The material of the top and bottom caps 22 and 23 of the casing is so cut when defining the openings 24 therein that stops 28 are provided at each end of all of the pass-ages 26 to limit the movement of the plungers or ejecting elements 21. To the end that efiective snuffing out of a cigarette will be accomplished by the elements 21, and also in order to insure against all likelihood of clogging of the passages 25 by accumulation of ashes, I form each end of each of the snufling and ejecting elements 21 to a concave shape, as clearly shown in Figure 1 of the drawing. The concave or dished ends of the ejecting and snuffing elements not only affords an appreciable seating surface for the inserted ends of the cigarettes for the snuffing out operation but also defines relatively sharp edges at the extremities of the elements 21 which scrape the walls of the passages 26 free of all ash. It may be observed also that the elliptical shape of openings 24 in the top and bottom caps of the casing 2 I affords increased spaces for the egress of ashes on every ejection of a cigarette from the casing into the tray I I by the inversion of the casing on its pivot pins 29; it being clear that in the ejecting operation the elements 21 move from one end of each passage 28 to the other end against the stops 23, thus forcing the snuffed out cigarettes Upon the next ejecting oper ation, the elements 21 return to their initial positions at the opposite end of the passages and promptly return again to seat against the stops 28 at the opposite ends of the passages. It is clear from the showingsin the drawing that there are openings 24 always available through which a cigarette may be passed for'snufiing for whatever position the casing assumes upon pivoting about the pins either the top cap or the bottom cap of the casing is at the top for passing the cigarettes therethrough.

In accordance with the invention, I combine with the ejector and snufier device of the present embodiment an advertising medium which affords display of an advertising message at all times in an upright position regardless of whether the casing 2| comes to rest in an inverted or an upright position. To this end, a pair of discs 3| and 32 are mounted on a pin or axle 33 extending across the sides of casing 2!, each disc carrying an added mass of material 34 along the bottom portion thereof so that the discs will oscillate about the axle 33 whenever the casing 2| is pivoted about its mounting pins 20. Discs 3| and 32 carr delineations 35 defining any desired message, such as an advertisement, and this message will always assume an upright position by virtue of the weighted bottom portions 34 of the discs which will not permit the discs 3| and 32 to remain inverted. Suitable transparent plates 36 and 31 are conveniently inserted in the casing 21 in front of the discs 3| and 32, respectively, to protect the delineations 35 thereon yet permitting clear vision thereof.

In order that cigarettes may be momentarily retained during the smoking thereof, I conveniently provide a pair of resilient clips 38 and 39 on the device, such clips preferably being fastened to the legs or uprights l1 and I8 of the standard l4 utilizing pivot pins 26 that the casing is mounted on. With the resilient clips so located, ash from retained cigarettes falls directly into the bottom 12 of the tray ll. Additional clips for holding cigarettes may be fastened below the clips 38 and 39 if desired.

I claim: 1. A cigarette snuffer and ejector with com bined advertising device comprising a tray, a casing pivotally supported above said tray; said casing having a plurality of passages therein terminating in openings in the top and bottom of the casing, a snuffing and ejecting element in each of said passages, means on said snufiing and ejecting elements for tending to prevent clogging of said passages, a pair of discs osoillatably mounted on said casing; said discs being adapted to receive delineations of advertising and like matter, and means on said discs for urging the same to such position relative to said casing that the advertising and like matter on'said discs will assume an upright position.

2. A cigarette snufferand ejector comprising a tray, a casing pivotally supported above said tray, a top cap removably fastened to said casing; said top cap having a plurality of elliptically shaped openings therein for passing cigarettes of both circular and elliptical cross-section, a bottom cap on said casing; said bottom cap having a plurality of elliptically shaped openings therein in alignment with the openings in said top cap; said casing having a plurality of passages therein communicating with the openings in'saidtop and bottom caps, a snufiing and ejecting element in each of said passages, and means on said snufling and ejecting elements for scraping ash from the walls of said passages out through said openings thereby to tend to prevent clogging of said passages.

JOHN M. BRAND. 

